A590 - strong response to survey

Dozens of people took the trouble to fill in the printed questionnaire, which appeared in the paper a fortnight ago, and to e-mail their comments, which included a diverse range of suggestions detailing how the road could be improved.

Of the 88 replies, the majority of respondents 52 believed that the A590 was dangerous with one person simply writing across the questionnaire: "The police should not be targeting or harassing drivers at all."

Driver error was seen by nearly all the respondents as being the main cause of traffic collisions, with High and Low Newton and Greenodd considered to be the most dangerous stretches of road.

Aggressive driving and speeding were frequently highlighted as aspects of driver behaviour that the police should target to reduce the number of casualties, while it was generally felt that the police should not discriminate about the type of drivers they should be focusing their efforts on.

No clear picture emerged on what would be the most effective change to reduce casualties on the road, with a wide variety of suggestions being made to improve highway safety.

One respondent, Brian Wilson, believed that the A590 was perfectly safe but felt that having a longer stretch of "no overtaking" as the dual carriageway reduced to a single carriageway in both directions might help. He also suggested larger warning signs, the cross hatching of the left hand lane and better lighting on the approaches to major junctions.

Another reader wrote that there should be "strictly enforced" lower speed limits in known danger areas High and Low Newton and between Bouth road end and Greenodd junctions and this could be done by "installing a series of traffic lights controlled by the speed of passing motorists, forcing anyone exceeding the limit to stop at the next lights."

John Beckett, of Newton-in-Cartmel, believed that the road was not dangerous but said that between the M6 and Barrow, drivers were presented with multiple changes of road conditions - the most dramatic being at the top of Lindale Hill where "what may be regarded as an extension of the motorway" became a rural road. "I do think this is a situation where better signing and road design should be implemented, for drivers need to be forewarned of the change."

Harry Knowles, chief executive of Furness Enterprise, said that "no amount of speed traps or traffic calming will make severely sub-standard sections of the A590 go away."

Andrew and Jamie Crawford called for a roundabout at the "confusing" Greenodd junction while John Leech a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists from Winstanley, near Wigan commented on the "bad habits" of drivers emerging onto the A590 in front of fast moving traffic at Haverthwaite (Barrow bound) and Greenodd (both directions).

Heavy goods vehicle driver J.W. Ratcliffe said that drivers using mobile phones were the biggest menace for not taking care while at the wheel and added that car drivers were not aware that the speed

limit for lorries on the road was 40mph.

"This makes car drivers very impatient and they try to pass at the most crazy places," he wrote.

All the responses to the questionnaire have been forwarded to the police, who intend to assess the responses and address problems that have been highlighted.

l TRAFFIC was held up after a collision between two visitors to the Lakes on the A590 at High Newton.

A lane was blocked after the incident at 1.30pm on Friday, which police said happened as two cars were travelling eastbound.

It involved a Mazda 323 driven by a 22-year-old man from South Shields and a 46-year-old from Essex, both of whom did not require hospital treatment.

Cumbria police spokesman Mike Smith said traffic was delayed but was soon moving quickly again. Neither driver consented for his name to be released.

See News - Furness for more.

June 5, 2003 14:30